by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 28, 2021 | Bon Appetit
For the second part of the series, we will visit Vietnam and Thailand and try making some finger food starting with Vietnamese spring rolls.
Vietnamese spring rolls are super easy and require no cooking at all. Of all the ingredients the most difficult one to find is possibly the rice paper wrapper but most groceries carry it.
Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Tuna
Every time I eat at Pho Hoa, I always make sure to order fresh spring rolls for starters. They are light and tasty and crunchy! I rarely, if at all eat this as a viand, but it could be.
Fresh Spring Rolls with Tuna
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: spring rolls, tuna
Servings: 5
- 1 can (185 g) San Miguel Del Mar Tuna in Water, drained
- 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 5 pieces rice paper wrappers
- 1 piece (100 g) cucumber, sliced into thin strips
- 1 piece (80 g) carrot, sliced into thin strips
- 5 sprigs cilantro or basil
- 1 cup shredded lettuce leaves
- 2 tbsp Magnolia Real Mayonnaise
Mix tuna and 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce together. Set aside.
Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Dip rice paper carefully until it softens.
Lay rice paper on a flat surface and while soft, quickly place 1 to 2 tablespoons of tuna in the center, then add several pieces of cucumber strips, carrot strips, cilantro, and shredded lettuce.
Fold the sides of the wrapper inwards, then tightly roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
To make hoisin sauce, mix together the remaining hoisin and mayonnaise. Serve with the spring rolls.
Use a combination of fresh vegetables and herbs in making the rolls such as cucumber, red radish, bean sprouts, bell peppers, zucchini, shredded cabbage, leeks, and mint leaves.
Do not oversoak rice papers in water as it will become soggy and sticky.
Space assembled spring rolls apart to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Hoisin from scratch (about 1/2 cup): 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp peanut butter or black bean paste, 1 tbsp brown sugar, honey or molasses, 2 tsp rice wine or white wine vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 clove garlic minced or 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp hot sauce
Thai Fish Cakes
Thai fish cakes are like seafood burgers. This is a good recipe for lent. You could use any fish but canned tuna is an easy solution.
Thai Fish Cakes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: patty, tuna
Servings: 6
- 1 can (185 g) San Miguel Del Mar Tuna Chunks in Water, drained
- 1 tbsp Sriracha or preferred chili sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped green onions
- 2 tbsp chopped Thai basil leaves or coriander leaves
- 1 piece Magnolia Brown Egg
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Golden Fry Palm Oil
Combine tuna, Sriracha, green onions, basil, egg, and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Break tuna apart with a fork to mix well. Form mixture into 2 tablespoon patties. If the mixture is runny, add more breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in a frying pan, fry fish cakes until golden brown. Serve with extra Sriracha sauce.
Tips:
- Substitute breadcrumbs with mashed potatoes for a different texture.
- Chill patties to set before frying.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 27, 2021 | Bon Appetit
Lent is upon us and for most Christians, this is a time when we abstain from red meat. Instead of preparing the same dish over and over again here are some tuna recipes that can put variety and excitement to our dining table. For part 1 of this series, we will “visit” Italy and Mexico.
Creamy Tuna and Mushroom Pasta
In our household, creamy tuna pasta is a regular weekend dish prepared by my sister. It is easy to prepare and is quite filling! In addition, one can of tuna feeds so many people. Try it yourself.
Creamy Tuna and Mushroom Pasta
Course: Main Course
Keyword: cream-based, pasta dish, tuna
Servings: 6
- 1/4 cup Magnolia Gold Butter Unsalted
- 2 tbsp minced onion
- 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
- 1 can (298 g) cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups Magnolia Fresh Milk
- 1 can (185 g) San Miguel Del Mar Tuna Chunks in Oil
- 1 tbsp chopped dill leaves optional
- 1/4 kg spaghetti noodles cooked according to package directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sauté onion and mushrooms.
Add cream of mushroom and milk. Mix until lump-free and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in tuna and dill, and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
Toss the pasta into the sauce.
Tips:
- Substitute dill leaves with chopped parsley or basil leaves.
- Add sliced black olives for a flavor boost.
Tuna Tacos
This recipe is for soft tacos but you can easily change it up into the regular tacos by buying hard shells instead. I would make this for a quick meal. If you have a busy day ahead, this is one of those you could eat on the run as it is essentially a folded sandwich.
Easy Tuna Tacos
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: tacos, tuna
Servings: 6
- 1/3 cup Magnolia Real Mayonnaise
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 6 pieces small flour tortillas or pita bread lightly warmed or toasted
- 1/2 cup shredded lettuce leaves
- 1/2 cup sliced cucumber
- 1 piece tomato, sliced 100 grams
- 1 can (185 g)San Miguel Del Mar Tuna Chunks in Oil drained
To make garlic sauce, mix mayonnaise and garlic then set aside.
In the center of each flour tortilla, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, tomato slices, and tuna. Drizzle with garlic sauce.
Fold tortilla to secure filling.
- Keep tortillas in the refrigerator for up to a week and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To warm store-bought tortillas: (1) heat in a dry hot pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds on each side, (2) wrap stacked tortillas in a paper towel, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 300°F for about 10 minutes and (3) cover tortillas with a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.
- Buy salad greens that are bright in color, leaves crisp, free of blemishes, and smell fresh.
The hard taco shell can also be replaced with nacho chips and this tuna taco can be transformed into a tuna taco salad, yum!
Most people don’t have tortilla wraps available in the fridge but most homes have the ingredients to make one. Click HERE for my paratha/roti recipe. FYI, there is very little difference between a paratha and a tortilla wrap so if you can make one, you can easily make the other. 😀
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 19, 2021 | Bon Appetit
I have a confession to make. This was actually the first Purefoods Ready to Eat Viand I experimented with but it didn’t turn out well so I decided to redo it. Since I only eat rice once a week now, I could only wait until my cheat day to make pork binagoongan rice properly. 🙂
The first time I made it I made the rookie mistake of cooking this dish in a pot over direct flame instead of the way I would normally cook rice. It was a mistake because I was so worried about burning the rice at the bottom that I kept stirring it. The end result was the pork slices crumbled. It still tasted good but it wasn’t presentable. Usually, we steam our rice in a steamer but since it was being used I decided to bring out the rice cooker.
For this recipe, we will use the Purefoods Ready to Eat Viand: Pork Binagoongan. I loved making this dish because it really stretched out and fed our entire family with rice to spare!
Pork Binagoongan Rice
This is a quick and easy recipe
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Keyword: bagoong, comfort food, pork, rice bowl
Servings: 6
Author: Penny Angeles-Tan
- oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 can mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pack Purefoods Ready to Eat Viand: Pork Binagoongan chopped while frozen
- 3 cups washed rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsps butter
In a wok, saute the garlic, onion, and mushrooms.
Add the pork binagoongan mix and simmer until it is melted.
Add the washed rice and mix properly. Be careful not to overmix or the meat will be shredded. You just want to make sure that all the rice is covered in the sauce.
Turn off the stove and transfer the content of the wok into the rice cooker and add the water. Cook.
Once the rice is cooked add the butter and fluff the rice.
Your pork binagoongan is ready to be served and eaten.
Pork binagoongan is usually served with eggplant. In this recipe, I did not include it as I happen to be allergic to eggplant but feel free to add it to your own. You can also add green onions at the end as a finishing touch.
It was delicious! There was so much that each of us had about 1 to 1.5 cups each. Since there was some leftover, my sister decided to jazz it up more by refrying it and adding light soy sauce and scrambled egg. The only thing missing was the sliced mangoes. 😀
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 12, 2021 | Bon Appetit
I first learned how to make paratha/roti in September 2020 and I posted it on our other site, HearthandHomeBuddies.com. Since then I have learned how to make it better and I have definitely improved my technique.
My observations when making paratha
Atta or regular wheat flour? Can we use either?
Using the right flour matters. This affects the outcome of the paratha in terms of texture and taste. I’ve tried making this with atta (Indian wheat flour) and regular wheat flour.
- Atta is finer and softer while regular wheat flour is grainy and rough.
- Atta is slightly more expensive by just 5 pesos more per kilo, but that price difference also translates to a better end product so who am I to quibble over cost? 🙂
- Atta results in a softer, more malleable dough, and softer bread.
- Atta needs exactly half the quantity of flour. For example, if you use 1 cup of flour, then you will need exactly half a cup of water. With regular wheat flour, it is hit and miss.
The good news is, there are many middle eastern stores popping up all over town so atta can easily be sourced.
Is water temperature important?
From experience, I can tell you that room temperature to lukewarm water works best. While hot water will activate the gluten faster, the reality is, if the water is too hot then you can’t hold the dough with your bare hands, what more knead it.
Is there a specific oil to use?
I would say use a neutral oil. The original recipe said to use olive oil but not everyone enjoys the aftertaste of olive oil. You can also use ghee as an alternative. In case you were wondering, ghee is clarified butter.
Sugar
The original recipe did not have any sugar, but I have found that adding a little sweetness makes the paratha yummier. 🙂
Here is my “improved” recipe. I hope you like it!
Paratha/Roti Recipe
An easy to make Indian flatbread recipe
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chapati, flatbread, paratha, roti
Servings: 6
Author: Penny Angeles-Tan
- 2 cups Atta (wheat flour) additional flour for dusting
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsps oil
- 1 cup water
Preparation
In a large bowl mix the atta, salt, garam masala, and sugar. Add the oil and mix again, making sure that the oil is well incorporated.
Add the water a little at a time while mixing until you use up all the water. As you mix it will become a tacky dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes and add a little flour for dusting, just enough to make the dough a little less sticky/tacky. As you knead the dough it will become less tacky and will become a soft dough ball. This means that it is soft but won't stick to your hand.
Tuck the dough underneath and roll it in your hands to form a ball. Dust the ball all over with flour and then let it rest in the bowl for 10 minutes covered.
On your chopping board or rolling mat, divide the dough ball into 6 equal parts. If you want smaller pieces just divide the dough into more parts.
Take 1 part and dust it and roll it into a ball ... flatten into a disk on the chopping board with your palm and dust again.
Take your rolling pin and flatten the small dough into a bigger disk. If the rolling pin starts to stick add a dusting of clour. Try to roll the dough out as evenly as possible, and not too thinly or the dough will rip when you lift it and the paratha will become too tough and will not be edible. You want the end product to be puffy and soft.
Cooking
Place your pan or flat hot plate on the stove and put it on medium heat. Hover your hand over the plate to test the heat but if that frightens you when you think it might be hot enough, put a drop of two of water on the pan. If the water turns into a bead and starts to dance on the pan, then it is hot enough, otherwise, you will have to wait a few more seconds then test again.
Once the pan is hot enough pick up your rolled-out dough carefully and shake out any loose flour by flipping it from hand to hand. Place the dough on the pan with the rolled side face down.
If your pan is heated correctly you will see your dough start to turn a darker shade and it will start to bubble and puff. Give it about 30 seconds then carefully flip the dough using your flipper/spatula. The dough will balloon a little more.
Give it another 30 seconds then flip it again. Press down on any part of the paratha that you see steam coming out or even just one side. This will help the paratha puff up even more. Flip it again and do the same on the other side. Your goal at this point is to brown the paratha and puff it up more. You want it to have brown spots but not get burned.
If it gets slightly burnt and a hole appears, not to worry. Just press down on the hole with your spatula and the hole will seal up. This will also puff up your paratha more.
Repeat this with the remaining dough. Your paratha is now ready to eat!
Paratha/roti is very similar to a tortilla. The ingredients are mostly the same and the way it is cooked is similar as well. Just like a tortilla, you can put anything in it. Just keep in mind that it is BREAD so whatever you would usually put in bread, you can eat with the paratha. 🙂
If you try this recipe, please make sure to tag me on social media @slvrdlphn and use the hashtag #slvrdlphnrecipes. Let me know, too, if you come up with a tweak that would make this dish different but still delicious!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 22, 2021 | Bon Appetit
I love eating spicy food. So do my daughter and sister. When I showed them the Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express they were excited to try it.
Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express
But that is just half the household. The other half has a low tolerance for spice but were still willing to try it. This gave me a challenge – how do I prepare this so that it is not so spicy but it will still be delicious?
Home Foodie PH suggestion
Home Foodie PH suggested Bicol Express Pizza so I looked over the recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces store-bought pizza crust
- 1 (450g pack) Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express thawed out in the chiller
- 2 cups mozzarella
- 1 (165 gms) Magnolia Quickmelt cheese
- 1 (100 g) red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 (100 g) green bell pepper, cut into strips
For chili honey
- 1 tbsp. chili flakes
- 1/4 cup honey
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 450o
- Assemble pizza by spreading Bicol express sauce on each pizza crust surface.
- Add mozzarella and Quickmelt cheese to each crust. Top with Bicol express meat and bell peppers.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
Makes 16 slices
(Yield: 2 pc 12-inch pizza/1-2 slices per serving)
Sounds simple enough, right? And pizza is a great idea because that much cheese would partially neutralize the spiciness so that the rest of the family can enjoy the pizza, too. Unfortunately, not all the ingredients are readily available in my kitchen. One small piece of bell pepper costs ₱48. Mozzarella cheese is not only expensive but is not readily available in nearby groceries.
What I ended up doing
Substitution is key! 🙂
- I did away with the mozzarella and used cheddar cheese all the way instead.
- Goodbye, bell peppers, I can’t afford you.
- chili honey – I didn’t need to make it or use it as the pizza was flavorful in itself.
- pizza crust – seeing as how I used to work in Shakey’s many years ago, I actually do know how to make a pizza from scratch so I decided to make my own pizza crust.
Below is my recipe for Bicol Express Pizza
Bicol Express Pizza
This is a very simple, easy-to-follow recipe for making a pizza at home from scratch. The crust will turn out soft and pillowy and a pleasure to chew.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: pizza
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 153kcal
Author: Penny Angeles-Tan
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus a little extra for dusting later
- 1 pack Purefoods Ready to Eat Viands Bicol Express frozen
- 1 tbsp oil for oiling the pan
- 165 grams cheese or enough to cover the pizza twice
Mix the sugar and the warm water in a mixing bowl until the sugar is melted. Make sure that the water is not too hot then add the yeast. If your water is too hot the yeast will die. Tip: The water should be warm to the touch but won't burn you. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to ferment and form bubbles. If this does not happen that means that your water is too hot and your yeast died so you will have to start again. Add the melted butter (make sure it isn't hot!) and mix.
Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients and mix. Keep mixing, this will form into a sticky/tacky dough ball.
Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on the rolling mat and knead for a few minutes. Don't worry about your muscles getting sore because this recipe does not need a lot of kneading. You just need to look at the dough and knead until you see that all the ingredients are well incorporated. From my personal experience, it just takes 10 to 15 times to fold and knead and you are good. It is just like playing with Playdoh.
If you are making a round pizza crust then roll it into a circle with a rolling pin. Take note, though, this recipe makes either two standard size crusts or 1 big crust.
Oil your baking pan/tray on all sides and transfer the dough onto the pan/tray and let it rest. This will still expand. In the meantime, turn on the heat in the oven and wait until it hits around 400F.
While waiting, open your frozen package of Purefoods Ready to Eat Viands Bicol Express and cut it up into several strips. and put the strips in the pot (or pan) with 1 to 2 tbsps of water for thawing and simmering. I like to put it on low to medium heat and simmer it for 8 minutes. Turn off the stove after.
If you want to make a rectangular or square pizza you can use your roller to stretch it down and out more. Don't worry that it is too thin, like I said, it is still expanding. if you decide to make your crust into a rectangle then there is no need to make 2 small pieces as you already have one big one.
Once the oven has hit the desired temperature, place the baking tray on the lowest rack of your oven and bake for 5 minutes.
Take it out of the tray and use a fork to pop and bubbles that formed. Scoop the sauce of the Bicol express onto the crust and spread it. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on top of the sauce.
Put the Bicol express meat over the cheese and any other topping you want to put on the pizza such as mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, etc.(3)
Top everything with cheese(4) again then put the pizza back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Turn the tray and bake for another 10 minutes.(5)
Your pizza is done and ready to eat.
See the notes after this recipe
Pizza Crust nutrition facts
One slice of the pizza crust is 68 calories.
Purefoods Ready to Eat Bicol Express nutrition facts
As per the packaging, the calories in one serving is 296 calories, but that is assuming 4 servings. Since this is a 16 slice pizza, each slice has 74 calories.
165 grams of cheese divided by 16 = 11.25 calories.
This means that each slice of Bicol Express Pizza = 153.25 calories Notes:
This recipe makes a pizza that is FILLED with ingredients. You can make another crust and split the filling to make 2 pizzas.
- Most cookbooks will tell you to preheat the oven before doing anything else. Personally, I find that a waste of gas so I would recommend not turning on the oven until you actually need it. After all, it doesn’t take too long to heat up.
- Some prefer to thaw first and then cut up but personally, I’ve found that it is easier to cut up meat, especially those with sauces like these ready-to-eat meals when they are frozen. It helps, of course, that I use a cleaver. Since there are so many of us here at home this is my way of making cut-up meat stretch out so that everyone gets to eat.
- Only 3 things are limiting you – budget, available ingredients, and imagination
- I didn’t have any mozzarella so I used cheddar all the way
- If you are using a gas oven this is one way of ensuring that the pizza is cooked evenly. We used to do this, too, at Shakey’s.
The amount of cheese to put is really up to you. I can’t recall the exact weight anymore after all these years but a handful of grated cheese is usually enough to cover a large pizza so for this recipe, you will need 2 handfuls. I think that it would approximately be 165 grams or a small block of cheese.
You can also use cheese squares if you like, but you will likely end up using more cheese if you do. But, as I said, the amount of cheese is completely up to you. 🙂
How did it turn out?
The crust is soft and chewy and delicious and the Bicol express made me very happy. The spice level was just right and the meat was soft and juicy and oh so delicious! My sister even tells me that I could reduce the Bicol express toppings when I add veggies so I could make two rectangular pizzas. Next time I do this I will cut the pieces smaller so that it will be easier to split into more pizzas. 🙂
Try this recipe or make your own. Or, just eat it the Bicol express as is! It is your choice. When I decide to eat this with rice you can be sure it will be over a bowlful of steaming hot rice and probably an egg on top. Breakfast rice toppings, yes! Now I’m hungry again, lol!
Purefoods Ready-to-Eat is available at all leading groceries and supermarkets nationwide. Follow Purefoods on Facebook and Instagram.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Feb 13, 2021 | Bon Appetit
I love tikoy. I say that every year and every year I mean it. I am the happiest gal in the block whenever my friends would send me tikoy on Chinese New Year. Over the years I have been receiving less and less … I’m lucky if I receive even one small one! The emotional side of me thinks that I must have fewer friends than I used to, which is possible since I have kept mostly to myself for almost a decade now. On the other hand, the logical side of me realizes that times are just hard and it has struck everyone, not just a few.
photo credit to interaksyon.com
If you go to the grocery or any Chinese store and check out what tikoy they have available you will probably see every color of the rainbow as they now make this in different flavors.
Affordability is subjective. If you have the cash to spare it is affordable, but if you live hand to mouth or paycheck to paycheck then it may be a luxury you will opt to forego. Or … hope that one of your Chinese friends would bless you with a tikoy.
My favorite is the brown tikoy, which is made with brown sugar.
How to make your own tikoy
It really isn’t difficult at all. You need three ingredients: sugar, water, and glutinous flour. By default, the tikoy will adapt the color of the sugar so if you use white sugar it comes out white. To mix it up you could add food color (which is what I did to make my tikoy red) or add flavor.
Tikoy recipe
Chinese New Year cake
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Chinese cooking, sweet cake
pan
mixing bowl
whisk or spatula
steamer
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 c glutinous rice flour
Preparation
Combine the water and sugar in a pan. Turn on the heat and mix until the sugar is completely melted and you have a thin syrup. Set it aside and cool down to room temperature.
Sift the glutinous flour into a bowl. Add the syrup into the bowl a little at a time while mixing. Make sure there are no lumps.
Oil your baking pan/s well. Alternately, you can line your pan/s with wax paper as removing the cake from the pan when it is cooked is not always easy.
Pour in the batter a little over 3/4 of the way up.
Cooking
Prepare your steamer, make sure it is already steaming before putting the pans in.
Place the pans in the steamer and cook for an hour. If you have a cheesecloth you will want to cover the pans with it before putting the lid of the steamer so that no liquid will drop into the batter.
Resting
Remove the pan/s from the steamer and leave it out to rest and set. Don't get tempted to pry it off. It will shrink as it turns cooler. This will take around 2 hours.
Once you have removed the cake/s from the pan, put it in a container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, longer is better. like overnight.
In the morning the tikoy will be ready to slice, fry, and serve. 🙂
The usual way of serving tikoy
The no-brainer way to serve tikoy is fried.
- Cut the tikoy into thin slices.
- Beat an egg in a bowl and dip each slice to coat before frying.
- Lightly oil a frying pan and fry each piece on both sides. You know the tikoy is ready when the center is soft and the egg coating is browned.
- Serve and enjoy.
For this recipe, we will use the Purefoods Ready to Eat Viand: Pork Binagoongan. I loved making this dish because it really stretched out and fed our entire family with rice to spare!
Using the right flour matters. This affects the outcome of the paratha in terms of texture and taste. I’ve tried making this with atta (Indian wheat flour) and regular wheat flour.
You must be logged in to post a comment.